Based on my annual sms-survey of select friends, the following movie titles were suggested for ‘best’ film of 2008: “Atonement”, “Choke”, “Juno”, even “Quantum of Solace”. Predictably, the two overall most popular choices were the audience favourite “The Dark Knight” and the critics’ favourite “No Country for Old Men”. Taking a page from Ebert, I’m not doing a top ten list of 2008. I’ve seen too few films to really feel qualified to draft such a list in the first place. What I have is a top three (as I’ve on occasion had in previous years) and then a list of titles from 2008 in alphabetical order.
The best film of 2008 was “No Country for Old Men”. This layered, deeply satisfying crime thriller set in the New West presented some of the most cerebral, captivating viewing in recent memory. So, “NCFOM” is number one. The second best film of the year is the shockingly underappreciated “There Will Be Blood”, a gripping oil drama built on Daniel Day-Lewis’s towering performance. The third best film of 2008 is “Wall–E”. You’ve probably seen that one, so it’s not necessary to motivate that choice and position. These three films are all deserving 4* movies worthy of entries in cine-encyclopaedias.
As for some other top titles of 2008:
Atonement
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
The Darjeeling Limited
The Dark Knight
Gone Baby Gone
In Bruges
Iron Man
Once
Sweeney Todd
Sympathy for Mr Vengeance
As more titles come to mind, I'll add them retroactively.
Monday, December 22, 2008
The Empire Strikes Back
The second season of “Rome” is more violent (often sexually so) and sensational than the first. For those unfamiliar with Roman history or the first season, please note that we are now entering spoiler territory.
For such a violent and spectacle driven show, it’s fitting that some its most memorable scenes involve the deathly demise of key characters: Brutus realising that all his efforts are in vain; Sevila’s curse; Cicero’s Stoic acceptance of his fate. Let us not forget that one of the main character trajectories that also ends, inevitably, in death, has to do with Mark Anthony and his time in Egypt with possibly the sexiest version of Cleopatra ever captured on screen.
Season 2 opens where the first season ended. Julius Caesar is dead, and succession follows. This involves mainly Mark Anthony and Octavian caught in a struggle for power in which each man will do what he has to to obtain control over the Empire. Meanwhile, Lucius Vorenus is mourning the death of his wife before assuming an important new role in controlling the gangs that run lower Rome. Titus Pullio and his new wife also return to Rome. With the inclusion and emphasis on Vorenus and Pullio it becomes clear that “Rome” really is a boy’s own adventure set in ancient times. The (mis)adventures of these two characters, though often severe, do not sit comfortably with the dealings of the ‘upper’ noble characters and their political schemes.
All in all “Rome” is well worth a watch, especially with the “All Roads Lead to Rome” function turned on to comment on and illuminate aspects of Roman life that the show itself cannot directly comment on. Considering how this season ends, it's a pity that the uber-expensive production could not survive into a third season dealing with Octavian's time as ruler of what was once the greatest city in the world.
For such a violent and spectacle driven show, it’s fitting that some its most memorable scenes involve the deathly demise of key characters: Brutus realising that all his efforts are in vain; Sevila’s curse; Cicero’s Stoic acceptance of his fate. Let us not forget that one of the main character trajectories that also ends, inevitably, in death, has to do with Mark Anthony and his time in Egypt with possibly the sexiest version of Cleopatra ever captured on screen.
Season 2 opens where the first season ended. Julius Caesar is dead, and succession follows. This involves mainly Mark Anthony and Octavian caught in a struggle for power in which each man will do what he has to to obtain control over the Empire. Meanwhile, Lucius Vorenus is mourning the death of his wife before assuming an important new role in controlling the gangs that run lower Rome. Titus Pullio and his new wife also return to Rome. With the inclusion and emphasis on Vorenus and Pullio it becomes clear that “Rome” really is a boy’s own adventure set in ancient times. The (mis)adventures of these two characters, though often severe, do not sit comfortably with the dealings of the ‘upper’ noble characters and their political schemes.
All in all “Rome” is well worth a watch, especially with the “All Roads Lead to Rome” function turned on to comment on and illuminate aspects of Roman life that the show itself cannot directly comment on. Considering how this season ends, it's a pity that the uber-expensive production could not survive into a third season dealing with Octavian's time as ruler of what was once the greatest city in the world.
Short Cuts
A few quick reviews.
Ang Lee is, if nothing else, a versatile filmmaker. The man that gave us a psychologically motivated “Hulk”, the Emma Thompson “Sense and Sensibility” adaptation and more recently “Brokeback Mountain”, the hetero love story with boys, now gives us the spy drama “Lust, Caution”. The film is a slow burning spy thriller, treading the same terrain as Verhoeven's "Zwartboek", and is written by collaborator James Schamus. It's a well crafted tale of deception and love in a time when it took both to survive, especially as a woman. The film's slow narrative won't sit well with most viewers and it's light on action, but Lee's drama yields rewards for those inclined to so-called 'art house' cinema.
Geek-favourite Neil Gaiman’s ("Stardust") film with long-time frequent collaborator Dave McKean, “Mirrormask”, is a visual mess that, ironically, and fatally for a film trying to be “imaginative”, loses the viewer the moment we exit reality to enter fantasy. Some appealing performances can only do so much to buoy this lame brained effort. Trite.
How unfortunate that Will Smith’s foray into the superhero genre ends up being the first half of a much better, never-to-be-seen feature film. Clocking in at 81 minutes, “Hancock” leaves everything barely explained. The film’s climactic battle ends up playing out as the foretelling of a much more significant confrontation with evil that never happens. A mildly entertaining wasted opportunity.
Ang Lee is, if nothing else, a versatile filmmaker. The man that gave us a psychologically motivated “Hulk”, the Emma Thompson “Sense and Sensibility” adaptation and more recently “Brokeback Mountain”, the hetero love story with boys, now gives us the spy drama “Lust, Caution”. The film is a slow burning spy thriller, treading the same terrain as Verhoeven's "Zwartboek", and is written by collaborator James Schamus. It's a well crafted tale of deception and love in a time when it took both to survive, especially as a woman. The film's slow narrative won't sit well with most viewers and it's light on action, but Lee's drama yields rewards for those inclined to so-called 'art house' cinema.
Geek-favourite Neil Gaiman’s ("Stardust") film with long-time frequent collaborator Dave McKean, “Mirrormask”, is a visual mess that, ironically, and fatally for a film trying to be “imaginative”, loses the viewer the moment we exit reality to enter fantasy. Some appealing performances can only do so much to buoy this lame brained effort. Trite.
How unfortunate that Will Smith’s foray into the superhero genre ends up being the first half of a much better, never-to-be-seen feature film. Clocking in at 81 minutes, “Hancock” leaves everything barely explained. The film’s climactic battle ends up playing out as the foretelling of a much more significant confrontation with evil that never happens. A mildly entertaining wasted opportunity.
B is not always for Bad
The label ‘B-movie’ is usually associated with a film that is bad, but often so in a way that suggests something akin to a guilty pleasure, the so-called “so bad it’s good”. (That ‘B-movie’ means ‘bad’ is a film myth but this is not the time to discuss that).
With that in mind I decided to have a B-movie Halloween in the company of a double dose of ridiculous shenanigans courtesy of Ed Neumeier’s SF “Starship Troopers 3: Marauder” (direct to DVD) and Greg Maclean’s “Rogue” (also direct to DVD).
“ST3:M” is worse than one might expect. It stars the original’s Casper van Dien returning as Johnny Rico, the ultimate alien arachnid fighter. Things go wrong on the planet of Roku San (or somewhere), and he’s in trouble. Meanwhile, a celebrity politician goes missing on a dangerous planet. Amazingly, I’ve just given away two-thirds of the plot. This film has no kickstart, no set pieces, no narrative flow – just a general plodding from one scene to another as we watch (1) a few truly entertaining “Would you like to know more?” infomercials; (2) bad special effects of plasticky giant arachnids hunting humans; (3) bizarre Christian ‘messages’; (4) topless South African model Tanya van Graan commenting on a guy’s penis size for a non-laugh. That, as they say, is that. And when the great villain of the piece is “revealed”, it is best to abandon attempts at self control and just laugh.
On the other hand, “Rogue” is a beautifully filmed creature feature from the director of the controversial 2006 horror favourite “Wolf Creek”. Despite starring Michael Vartan, “Rogue” – also featuring the amiable Rhadha Mitchell – is terrifyingly good, with a handful of solid scares up its sleeve. While showing Australia to be breathtaking, Maclean also gives us the man-eater crocodile that strands a tourist riverboat and its passengers on a very small island and picks them off one by one. The deaths are never gratuitously gory but are adequately brutal. In his favour, Maclean follows the “Jaws” way of not showing the full creature until the end, which features a suspenseful showdown between man and beast.
With that in mind I decided to have a B-movie Halloween in the company of a double dose of ridiculous shenanigans courtesy of Ed Neumeier’s SF “Starship Troopers 3: Marauder” (direct to DVD) and Greg Maclean’s “Rogue” (also direct to DVD).
“ST3:M” is worse than one might expect. It stars the original’s Casper van Dien returning as Johnny Rico, the ultimate alien arachnid fighter. Things go wrong on the planet of Roku San (or somewhere), and he’s in trouble. Meanwhile, a celebrity politician goes missing on a dangerous planet. Amazingly, I’ve just given away two-thirds of the plot. This film has no kickstart, no set pieces, no narrative flow – just a general plodding from one scene to another as we watch (1) a few truly entertaining “Would you like to know more?” infomercials; (2) bad special effects of plasticky giant arachnids hunting humans; (3) bizarre Christian ‘messages’; (4) topless South African model Tanya van Graan commenting on a guy’s penis size for a non-laugh. That, as they say, is that. And when the great villain of the piece is “revealed”, it is best to abandon attempts at self control and just laugh.
On the other hand, “Rogue” is a beautifully filmed creature feature from the director of the controversial 2006 horror favourite “Wolf Creek”. Despite starring Michael Vartan, “Rogue” – also featuring the amiable Rhadha Mitchell – is terrifyingly good, with a handful of solid scares up its sleeve. While showing Australia to be breathtaking, Maclean also gives us the man-eater crocodile that strands a tourist riverboat and its passengers on a very small island and picks them off one by one. The deaths are never gratuitously gory but are adequately brutal. In his favour, Maclean follows the “Jaws” way of not showing the full creature until the end, which features a suspenseful showdown between man and beast.
Heroic smackdown
Timur Bekmembetov’s “Wanted” is pretty but dumb, much like the character Fox played by Angelina Jolie. There’s a nifty, not-totally-unforeseen twist towards the end and James MacAvoy is a solid action lead, but for all the visual trickery and physics-defying stunts, “Wanted” remains underdeveloped in its execution.
Louis Leterrier’s “The Incredible Hulk” is a quasi-sequel-cum-reimagining of Ang Lee’s version from not too long ago. Replacing Eric Bana with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, Leterrier also places the emphasis on sheer spectacle as the big green does what it does best: smash. William Hurt shows up as General Ross and this time there’s actually a real villain, the Abomination. The relationship between Banner and Betty Ross is again taken into consideration. For better and for worse though, this “Hulk” keeps the focus on smash. Compared to “Iron Man”, not to even mention “The Dark Knight”, this one falls short.
You'll find yourself wishing for the end as you endure Neil Marshall’s “Doomsday”, which stars Rhona Mitra and Bob Hoskins (!) in yet another apocalyptic tale of some virus that does something and bleeb blop gloop. After an hour, I just couldn’t care anymore. I’d heard awful dialogue (“You're going there? If there is such a thing as hell on earth, that's it”) and seen an extended cannibalism sequence. Yet I pressed on, because surely it would get better? I would not. As a major fan of the director, the man responsible for Brit-werewolf flick “Dog Soldiers” and the best horror in recent memory, “The Descent”, “Doomsday” is a pure stinker, so bad that it’s not even so bad it’s good.
Martin McDonough’s “In Bruges” is a delightful black comedy set in the preserved medieval town of Bruges (Brugge), featuring Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell as two hitmen waiting for the dust to settle back in London while questioning why on earth their employer (Ralph Fiennes) would send them to, of all places, this one. “In Bruges” uses Bruges as a breathtaking backdrop to the unravelling of the characters’ fates. In a year where the bat cast its shadow over everything else, even before its release (with Ledger’s death), it’s easy to neglect some of the gems that came out this year, and “In Bruges” is one of them.
Louis Leterrier’s “The Incredible Hulk” is a quasi-sequel-cum-reimagining of Ang Lee’s version from not too long ago. Replacing Eric Bana with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, Leterrier also places the emphasis on sheer spectacle as the big green does what it does best: smash. William Hurt shows up as General Ross and this time there’s actually a real villain, the Abomination. The relationship between Banner and Betty Ross is again taken into consideration. For better and for worse though, this “Hulk” keeps the focus on smash. Compared to “Iron Man”, not to even mention “The Dark Knight”, this one falls short.
You'll find yourself wishing for the end as you endure Neil Marshall’s “Doomsday”, which stars Rhona Mitra and Bob Hoskins (!) in yet another apocalyptic tale of some virus that does something and bleeb blop gloop. After an hour, I just couldn’t care anymore. I’d heard awful dialogue (“You're going there? If there is such a thing as hell on earth, that's it”) and seen an extended cannibalism sequence. Yet I pressed on, because surely it would get better? I would not. As a major fan of the director, the man responsible for Brit-werewolf flick “Dog Soldiers” and the best horror in recent memory, “The Descent”, “Doomsday” is a pure stinker, so bad that it’s not even so bad it’s good.
Martin McDonough’s “In Bruges” is a delightful black comedy set in the preserved medieval town of Bruges (Brugge), featuring Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell as two hitmen waiting for the dust to settle back in London while questioning why on earth their employer (Ralph Fiennes) would send them to, of all places, this one. “In Bruges” uses Bruges as a breathtaking backdrop to the unravelling of the characters’ fates. In a year where the bat cast its shadow over everything else, even before its release (with Ledger’s death), it’s easy to neglect some of the gems that came out this year, and “In Bruges” is one of them.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Updating Issues
Issues of time related to the sheer amount of work I had to do - work which increases substantially from the end of November until mid December each year - have caused a severe lack of posts. I have seen a few films, some new, some old, and I'll put the reviews up somewhere before Christmas in one massive post. Included therein are the results of my annual "What's your best film of 2008" survey, which yielded rather predictable results.
I haven't even seen the new Bond yet, for crying out loud.
I haven't even seen the new Bond yet, for crying out loud.
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